A Worle woman abseiled down Uphil Quarry dressed as an elf.

It is just one of the challenges Louise Parslow has undertaken to raise money for mental health charity Mind.

The ‘mental elf’ for mental health has been rescued by Newfoundland dogs, arrested by police and gone deep sea diving, and has raised more than £1,000.

Louise said: “This was probably the toughest challenge I have faced so far. I am scared of heights so abseiling 150ft was quite a daunting prospect.

“But the thought of raising money for such an important cause kept me going and I must thank Ian from Aardvark Endeavours for making this challenge possible by providing the equipment and supporting me throughout.”

Louise began her challenge last year after being inspired by the elf on the shelf craze and thought she could do her own version.

She chose to raise funds for Mind after her own mental health struggles.

Posting videos on her Facebook page each day throughout December in an advent calendar style, people can watch her latest adventure, whether she is teaching GCSE maths at Weston College or volunteering at the Weston Night Assessment Centre.

Louise added: “Mental health illness is very close to my heart as not only have I suffered myself, my daughter has struggled, too.

“I think it is much more acceptable to talk about these issues today, and it is beginning to be accepted as an illness rather than a taboo subject – it has been recognised by the forces, public services and celebrities are also not afraid to talk about it.

“It happens, it’s real, but you can’t see it and sometimes it happens to the most unlikely of us.

“Dressing up as an elf makes the challenges more fun, it started off as a joke but ultimately the aim is to raise as much money as possible to help people in the area.

“I’ve been fortunate enough that everyone who has taken part in these challenges with me has understood this and got onboard with it.”